Self sealing valve control



June 16, 1931.

SELF SEALING VALVE CONTROL Filed June 2l, 1922 J. w. BEARING 1,810,877

Patented June 16, v1931 l UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE JOSEPH w.' BEARING, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, AssIGNoR, BY MnsNE assIGNMENTs, *To SPRINGFIELD LUMBER COMPANY, on SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIs, `A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS SELF snA'LINe-.VALVE CONTROL Application lerd .Tune 21, 1922. Serial No. 569,821.

`My invention pertains to a self sealing valve control and more particularly relates.

to a packless valve structure the valve operating parts of which are initially sealed with a mechanical fit together with a structural arrangement purposely enabling an auxiliary corrosive seal to occur at a more accessible place of exposure thereby protecting the mechanical seal against corrosive exposure.

All previously known valves relying upon a stuiing box eventually after long disuse become inoperative due to corrosive friction or else will leak unless repacked. My patent for a valve No. 1,264,282 of April 30, 1918, discloses a remedial construction over which this application is an improvement. I here also employ a ioating shaft, lout supported it in spaced bearings between which I locate the mechanical seal for the valve operating parts. Between the shaft and the valve casing I deliberatelyr provide a close running fit, that is to say, with a modicum of .clearance in excess of that allowed for an ordinary bearing, and locate such clearance fit at a nearer and more accessible place of exposure to and likely corrosion from gaseous elements passing in the valve casing than is the place of the mechanical seal.'

Practical tests, including accelerated acid I tests lrepresenting twenty-five to thirty years of averageusehave demonstrated that the corrosion which is to be purposely allowed -to take place seals the clearance fit by an annular corrosive accumulation of comparatively small width. Inpractic'e, the growth of the corrosive accumulation in opposite directions radially of the axis ofthe annular .clearance space closes its initially open end before the corrosive b-andhas attained much widthin'comparison to the axial length `of .the annular space defining wallsyand therefore corrosion in the clearance Vspace necessarily ceases at a `point safely distantL from the mechanical seal. The frictional resistance in consequence thereof is therefore inconsiderable particularly in opposition to the turning action of theshaft., YActual practice thas proven that any friction for which the narrow corrosive band is responsible is read'- ily. overcome vby the Vshearing action thereagainst` of the shaft which is subject to; the

control of a strong lever action. vAdvertmg to the'drawings:

- Figure I is an end elevation, partly in section, showing a valve mechanism control em- ,1

bodying my invention. Y y .1

Figure VII is aV section on line II---II of Figure I.

FigurerIII is an enlarged portion of Figure II.

Figure IV is a still further enlarged fragmentary portion of Figure III,

A lvalvecasing 1 is provided above with a top screw cap 2 affording communication to the interior. vThe lower part of the casing is fashioned with oppositely directed tapped inletand outlet openings 3 and il, the communication therebetween-being subject to the control of a conventional type of gate valve including the disks 5 and 6 pivot'ed against each otherthrough an opening in the wedge shaped extremity of a Valve actuatingyoke 7 adapted, in a manner common to the art, to press the disks 5 and 6 firmly. against seats 8 and 9 which are provided around the inner ends of the inlet and outlet. The yoke 7 is to be swung through an arc in a space 10 in a manner to be later explained. Inasmuch as l nothing is claimed for this old construction it has been briefly described.

To one side the valve casin' is fashioned with' a variformed bore IIfasIiioned with a bearing surface 12 and more inwai'dlyavith anotherbearmg surface 13 of smaller diameter eas may be seen in Figure III. In turn, -bel yond the bearing 13is a still smaller bearing surface 14. Between the bearing surfacesl and 14 is a conical surface 15 adapted toserve as a seat for a mechanical seal to be presently explained. A variformed floating shaft 16 is adapted for fitting within the bore-11 `so that-its one end 17 fits within the Vbearing v12,

so that an adjoining squared section 18 fits withina correspondingly squared opening in the other end of the yoke 7, so that another next adjacent section V19 fits within ythe beari Ving 13, so that a spherical surface 20 is adapt-A ed to have awedge contact with theconical seat 1.5 and soV that the round portion of the shaft .16 which is of smallest diameter lfits EUG i within the bearing 14. The lend 17 of the shaft is held in place by a split nut 21 coopf erating with-threads formed inthe bore 11 and adapted to be locked in position by the expansive action of a, plug Y A closing Cep 23 is provided.

Encircling the smallest round portion of the shaft is a sleeve 24 movable in a vbearing 25 .and `held in place by a nut 2,6.ithe inner .endl

shaft 16, rock'the yoke 7 and oscil'late` theVV gate valve between its open andl closed posi-` tions. i n f The outer end of the sleeve 24 is; squared at for the receptionof the square socket of an. actuating lever 31. The lever 31 is to be held in place by one or more nuts 32 secured r upon the screwed threadedl outer extremity 33 of the sleeve 24. As mounted, an upward pull upon the Yextremity ofw the lever 31 through the medium of an attached cable 34 willuact to close the valve.

' A pivoted weight 35 cooperates with the lever 31A in ajmanner' not germane to the invention' herein claimed. The. function of the pivoted'weight 35 is explained andk claimed in' my copending application 'Kled of even date herewith. n Y

My earlier Patents No. 1,224,284 and No. 1,264,282jboth disclose a mechanical seal sub; stantiallly the equivalent of the mechanica-l sealA here disclosed as efi'ectede by the engagementof the spherical; surface 20 with the conical seat 15, but this application presents an Y experimentally developed improvement in respect to the mannerrof mounting' the floatingfshaft 1o,l in respect to the manner `of acstuating it and in respectV to. the scheme by which leakage throughthe fittings .of the shaft 16 is prevented; thereby furnishing the `warrant for, the title: Self sealing valve control'.

Itfisdesirableto have the floating shaft 16 1 mounted/ in aseries of bearings atleast one of* which is on each side of the mechanical seal" It isfurthermore desirable to provide means' for endwise adjustment ofthe floating shaft,- that is. to. say, in a kdirection parallel with its axis and such adjustmentmay be eiieci-teclas'lieretofore through'the agency of the split nut 21V and the locking plug22. On each5side of' theyoke 7,' infact, between the bearing1'2 and endllv of the shaft and also between the bearingg13 and;V theinter jacent section 19jof the shaft,- IJ provide a inodicum of "clearance, very; slightlyV though measurably, in excess of the clearance ordinarilyv allowed for a properly fitted bearing.

It is well to remark here that I propose my valve mechanism to control the main supply pipe of a building. VInitially it will be set in a position so that the valve will be open and in consequence so that the gas flowing through the valve will have'access to the space 10 and therefore to the minute yannular clearance spaces of which mention was just Sinin-le.A Asis well known, gaseousl elements effect the corrosion of metal aswell as; the deterioration of any packing material until now discovered-.y I conceived the possibility of utilizing a corrosive occurence and then designing. construction which would enable the corrosion to be confined todeiinite locations so as to realize aV 'benefit' therefrom by havingr it act as an auxiliary andi-absolute seal not. only against theescape of gas past the connections of the valve actuating mechanism, but also against undesirable corrosion at the mechanical' seal either oni the surface 15 or on the surface 20.V It willbe observed that the annularV clearance spaces provided around the shaft 16 oneach side of its point of connection with the yoke 7 are bothvnearer and therefore more accesibleto the gas supply than is the point where the mechanicaliseal is to, bemaintained betweenV the surfaces 15 and 20. If suchl surfaces become corroded they will presently allow leakage there', which even an axial adjustment of the-shaft 16'ma-y be unable to correct. Accordingly, the primary object ofmy invention has been to avoid cerrosionk at thefcircular line ofj contact between the surfaces151a-ndi20, I have successf-ullly,` acc'zomplishedy suc-h object withthe Iaid ofj the functiony of the annular clearance spaces previously referred to., -Practi`cehas demonstrated that corrosion will`V` occur-bejtween the pair of' linesat; Xfand between the pair of linesat Yas shown in Figure HI'.

`Such` lines are to be considered aszplanes de'- ining the annu'larspaces Where corrosionA is purposely allowed initiallyto occur after which-,such action ceasesl anda double-and absolute seal becomes established. 'Phe-cor'- rosive seal will accumulate tosomething like vthe form shown; in Figure IV. lwhere it? has been designatedas C; S Valvesofthis characterfor the purposeior which I propose mineto` be used are likelyI to loe-left open for years and only closedA in cases of emergency such asstheA occurenceofa lire in thebuilding where installed. In case of fire, one ofi the irstacts offa fireman, is to effectr the closure offtheV main gas valve. V actuating lever 31' enables; the. comparativelyA small friction occasionedzby the two corrosive ringstobe easily overcome; i Y

1*; The methodf of se linga valve' casing whichconsists in itting/ afrotatablo metal valve actuating 'member in a be'aringfformed inl said casing wit-hpa modicuni of clearance 1n excess Aof that required forV said bearingv at izo iso

a place exposed to the action of corrosive elements in order purposely to allow a measure of corrosion to occur at the most exposed portion of said clearance space and to act as a sealing agent eective to prevent leakage along said bearing. v

2. The combination of a metal casing purposed to be occupied by corroding elements, an actuating member rotatably mounted in Y said casing, said member and casing being provided one with a valve and the other with a valve seat adapted when said member is axially moved to engage and eiiect a mechanical seal for said fitting, lan interior portion i of said member being surrounded by a clearance space somewhat in excess of a yconventional bearing clearance, said space being open at one end of the casing and closed at its other end by said mechanical seal thereby forming a pocket in which corrosion occurs at the open and most exposed end of said clearance space whereby to cause a cessation of corrosive advance toward said mechanical seal.

3. The'met-hod for sealing the ground-lit connection of a rotatable valve actuating member with a valve casing intended to beV subjected to corrosive elements, which consists in providing an elongated clearance space around said member and in excess of a conventional bearing clearance and communicating at one end with said casing and closed at its other end by said ground-fit connection7 and allowing a corrosive accumulation at the most exposed portion of said clearance space to vclose its initially open end and thereby cause the advance of corrosion toward said connection automatically to be stopped.

Signed by me, this 25th day of May, 1922.

- JOSEPH W. BEARING. 

